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CHITRAL leaving for London and Ports on Tuesday 13 May 1930
CHITRAL leaving for London and Ports on Tuesday 13 May 1930

CHITRAL leaving for London and Ports on Tuesday 13 May 1930

Photographer (1901-1975)
Date1930
Object number00041517
NameGlass plate negative
MediumEmulsion on glass
Dimensions83 x 108 x 2 mm
ClassificationsPhotographs
Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum collection
DescriptionCHITRAL was photographed leaving Sydney Harbour for London and other ports on Tuesday 13 May 1930. This image was captured from Fort Macquarie at 12.20pm. CHITRAL was a passenger liner with the P&O line and active in Australian waters in the first half of the 20th century.HistoryCHITRAL and its sister ship CATHAY were both built in 1961 and operated under the P&O line. While serving in Australian waters CHITRAL was used by P&O's subsidiary company Eastern and Australian Lines between 1971 and 1975 to carry passengers between Japan, China and Australia. It provided a regular passenger service with comfortable and entertaining facilities. The P&O Steam Navigation Company purchased the vessel and used it for passengers and freight. On 3 December 1975 CHITRAL was sold to Choy's Iron & Steel Company for scrapping in Taiwan.SignificanceThis photograph represents CHITRAL and its role transporting passengers between Australia and England.

It is part of the F G Wilkinson Photograph Collection, comprising more than 700 glass plate negatives of ships in Sydney Harbour between 1919 and 1936. The collection provides an extensive and well-documented coverage of the changing styles of shipping in the port of Sydney before the gradual decline of the coastal trade, and in a period which was probably the peak reached by commercial shipping in Australia. The backgrounds also reveal the changing face of the city and harbour foreshores.